The Lord’s Great Victory Over the Nations

38 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against Gog,^(A) of the land of Magog,^(B) the chief prince of^[a] Meshek and Tubal;^(C) prophesy against him ³ and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of^[b] Meshek and Tubal.^{(D) 4} I will turn you around, put hooks^(E) in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.^{(F) 5} Persia, Cush^[c](G) and Put^(H) will be with them, all with shields and helmets, ⁶ also Gomer^(I) with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah^(J) from the far north^(K) with all its troops—the many nations with you.

⁷ “‘Get ready; be prepared,^(L) you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. ⁸ After many days^(M) you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations^(N) to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.^{(O) 9} You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm;^(P) you will be like a cloud^(Q) covering the land.^(R)

¹⁰ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind^(S) and you will devise an evil scheme.^{(T) 11} You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people^(U)—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars.^{(V) 12} I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.^[d]” ¹³ Sheba^(W) and Dedan^(X) and the merchants of Tarshish^(Y) and all her villages^[e] will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?^(Z)”’

¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety,^(AA) will you not take notice of it? ¹⁵ You will come from your place in the far north,^(AB) you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.^{(AC) 16} You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud^(AD) that covers the land.^(AE) In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy^(AF) through you before their eyes.^(AG)

¹⁷ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them. ¹⁸ This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁹ In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake^(AH) in the land of Israel.^{(AI) 20} The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble^(AJ) at my presence. The mountains will be overturned,^(AK) the cliffs will crumble^(AL) and every wall will fall to the ground.^{(AM) 21} I will summon a sword^(AN) against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother.^{(AO) 22} I will execute judgment^(AP) on him with plague and bloodshed;^(AQ) I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones^(AR) and burning sulfur^(AS) on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.^{(AT) 23} And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(AU)’

39 “Son of man, prophesy against Gog^(AV) and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of^[f] Meshek^(AW) and Tubal.^{(AX) 2} I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north^(AY) and send you against the mountains of Israel.^{(AZ) 3} Then I will strike your bow^(BA) from your left hand and make your arrows^(BB) drop from your right hand. ⁴ On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds^(BC) and to the wild animals.^{(BD) 5} You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.^{(BE) 6} I will send fire^(BF) on Magog^(BG) and on those who live in safety in the coastlands,^(BH) and they will know^(BI) that I am the Lord.

⁷ “‘I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned,^(BJ) and the nations will know^(BK) that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel.^{(BL) 8} It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day^(BM) I have spoken of.

⁹ “‘Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows,^(BN) the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.^{(BO) 10} They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder^(BP) those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(BQ)

¹¹ “‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried^(BR) there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.^[g](BS)

¹² “‘For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.^{(BT) 13} All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I display my glory^(BU) will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁴ People will be continually employed in cleansing the land. They will spread out across the land and, along with others, they will bury any bodies that are lying on the ground.

“‘After the seven months they will carry out a more detailed search. ¹⁵ As they go through the land, anyone who sees a human bone will leave a marker beside it until the gravediggers bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog, ¹⁶ near a town called Hamonah.^[h] And so they will cleanse the land.’

¹⁷ “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call out to every kind of bird^(BV) and all the wild animals: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.^{(BW) 18} You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Bashan.^{(BX) 19} At the sacrifice^(BY) I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk. ²⁰ At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.^(BZ)

²¹ “I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay on them.^{(CA) 22} From that day forward the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. ²³ And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.^{(CB) 24} I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.^(CC)

²⁵ “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob^[i](CD) and will have compassion^(CE) on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name.^{(CF) 26} They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety^(CG) in their land with no one to make them afraid.^{(CH) 27} When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations.^{(CI) 28} Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them^(CJ) to their own land, not leaving any behind.^{(CK) 29} I will no longer hide my face^(CL) from them, for I will pour out my Spirit^(CM) on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(CN)”

A Lament Over Pharaoh

32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:^{(A) 2} “Son of man, take up a lament^(B) concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

³ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

¹⁶ “This is the lament^(Y) they will chant for her. The daughters of the nations will chant it; for Egypt and all her hordes they will chant it, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Egypt’s Descent Into the Realm of the Dead

¹⁷ In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:^{(Z) 18} “Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and consign^(AA) to the earth below both her and the daughters of mighty nations, along with those who go down to the pit.^{(AB) 19} Say to them, ‘Are you more favored than others? Go down and be laid among the uncircumcised.’^{(AC) 20} They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; let her be dragged^(AD) off with all her hordes.^{(AE) 21} From within the realm of the dead^(AF) the mighty leaders will say of Egypt and her allies, ‘They have come down and they lie with the uncircumcised,^(AG) with those killed by the sword.’

²² “Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword. ²³ Their graves are in the depths of the pit^(AH) and her army lies around her grave.^(AI) All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword.

²⁴ “Elam^(AJ) is there, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.^(AK) All who had spread terror in the land of the living^(AL) went down uncircumcised to the earth below. They bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.^{(AM) 25} A bed is made for her among the slain, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised,^(AN) killed by the sword. Because their terror had spread in the land of the living, they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among the slain.

²⁶ “Meshek and Tubal^(AO) are there, with all their hordes around their graves. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword because they spread their terror in the land of the living. ²⁷ But they do not lie with the fallen warriors of old,^[b](AP) who went down to the realm of the dead with their weapons of war—their swords placed under their heads and their shields^[c] resting on their bones—though these warriors also had terrorized the land of the living.

²⁸ “You too, Pharaoh, will be broken and will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.

²⁹ “Edom^(AQ) is there, her kings and all her princes; despite their power, they are laid with those killed by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.^(AR)

³⁰ “All the princes of the north^(AS) and all the Sidonians^(AT) are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power. They lie uncircumcised^(AU) with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.^(AV)

³¹ “Pharaoh—he and all his army—will see them and he will be consoled^(AW) for all his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord. ³² Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh^(AX) and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord.”^(AY)

Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman

33 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword^(A) against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman,^{(B) 3} and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet^(C) to warn the people, ⁴ then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning^(D) and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head.^{(E) 5} Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head.^(F) If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves.^{(G) 6} But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’^(H)

⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman^(I) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.^{(J) 8} When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,^(K)’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for^[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^{(L) 9} But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so,^(M) they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.^(N)

¹⁰ “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away^(O) because of^[b] them. How then can we live?^(P)”’ ¹¹ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.^(Q) Turn!^(R) Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’^(S)

¹² “Therefore, son of man, say to your people,^(T) ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’^{(U) 13} If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done.^{(V) 14} And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just^(W) and right— ¹⁵ if they give back what they took in pledge^(X) for a loan, return what they have stolen,^(Y) follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die.^{(Z) 16} None of the sins^(AA) that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.^(AB)

¹⁷ “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. ¹⁸ If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil,^(AC) they will die for it.^{(AD) 19} And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so.^{(AE) 20} Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”^(AF)